I wonder what word do you usually use in the following sense:
- Boy: What an astonishing scene. Come on; let's approach the its edge and take a selfie!
Girl: no; let's not approach it. It is a dangerous...........
a. precipice
b. cliff
c. crag
d. canyon
e. valley
All the information I know:
- A "precipice" is a sudden steep drop. "Precipice" is a cliff with a vertical, nearly vertical, or overhanging face. a situation of great peril.
A "cliff" may be precipitous but it can also have a gradually steepening slope leading to the vertical section. A "cliff" is a high steep face of a rock. Also, a "cliff" is a type of crag, and is always vertical (up and down), not horizontal (across, or stretching outward).
Also, dictionaries as usual cannot help me to tell these similar words apart:
Precipice: a very steep side of a cliff or a mountain.
Cliff: high area of rock with a very steep side, often on a coast.
Crag: a high, rough mass of rock that sticks out from the land around it.
Canyon: a large valley with very steep sides and usually a river flowing along the bottom.
Valley: an area of low land between hills or mountains, often with a river running through it.
Note: I would classify these five words as below:
- Precipice - Cliff - Crag
- Canyon - Valley
I know that the words in group #2 are more or less synonymous and are different from the words in group #1. But I needed two know whether I can use the words group two in this sense too or not. That was to avoid asking similar question plus making this thread more useful for other learners.